$300 to upgrade system: RAM, GPU, or other?

cpmackenzi

Distinguished
Jul 11, 2014
171
1
18,715
By February at latest, I'm looking to sink some money into my PC for upgrades. Will monitor sales coming up and strike when there's discount. Curious as to what people recommend the most. I'm assuming go all out for a GPU at this point, but open to ideas. May also get new, larger monitor so I can better enjoy higher graphics settings. I don't do tons of hardcore gaming, but I want games like Fallout to be good.

Parts to Upgrade: Whatever improves gaming the most

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com

Location: Space Coast, Florida

Parts Preferences: Intel CPU due to mobo; none for GPU, have used both Radeon and GeForce

Overclocking: Not likely, never done it before, don't have advanced cooling

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Samsung 22 inch, desktop runs at 1600 x 900, games usually same or 1920 x 1080

Additional Comments: My Current PC

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Better gaming experience for new releases. I most play Elite: Dangerous and Alien: Isolation. I want to get Fallout 4.
 
Solution
Just the card , rest looks great


Enjoy Gaming :D

Go for the 390 for the 8gb Card , more VRAM for future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($309.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $309.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:49 EST-0500

or

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($296.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $296.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:51 EST-0500

Dark Lord of Tech

Retired Moderator
Just the card , rest looks great


Enjoy Gaming :D

Go for the 390 for the 8gb Card , more VRAM for future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($309.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $309.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:49 EST-0500

or

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($296.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $296.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:51 EST-0500
 
Solution
GPU, no question about it. For gaming at 1080p on titles like Fallout 4 the GTX 970 or R9 390 would be a very good choices:

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($307.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $307.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:49 EST-0500

Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card ($309.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $309.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-20 08:50 EST-0500

Either of these cards would be the single best choice for immediate gaming improvement on your current rig. You've got a strong CPU, passable power, and a passable motherboard.

For 1080p gaming the GTX 970 has a very slight edge, but most people are currently favoring the R9 390 because of the extra VRAM and its ability to scale up to 1440p gaming.
 

cpmackenzi

Distinguished
Jul 11, 2014
171
1
18,715
Thanks, all. Quick answers and they're all the same. Guess that makes it easy for me! I'll just watch the R9 390 prices over the next few months and hope for a big sale.

I assume my GPU is good enough to run Fallout 4 okay, right? Not amazing, but especially if I go 1600 x 900 due to smallish monitor?